Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday that Russia plans on influencing the 2018 midterm elections, with Moscow approving of the chaos its meddling caused in 2016. "There should be no doubt that Russia perceived its past efforts as successful and views the 2018 U.S. midterm elections as a potential target for Russian midterm operations," he said. Coats was one of several top intelligence officials who appeared on Capitol Hill for the panel's annual "worldwide threats" hearing, and he also revealed that there isn't one single agency in the government that is fighting against Russian election meddling.

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5 things you need to know now

With rain in the forecast, firefighters make gains against California blazes

On Sunday, firefighters continued to make progress against the Camp Fire in Northern California, the deadliest fire in state history, and the Woolsey Fire in Southern California. The Camp Fire in Butte County has killed at least 77 people, scorched 149,500 acres, and destroyed 12,786 structures. There are 993 people unaccounted for in the area, and the fire is 60 percent contained. The Woolsey Fire has burned 96,949 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, destroying 1,130 structures and killing at least three people. The fire is 90 percent contained, with Cal Fire expecting full containment by Thursday. About four inches of rain is forecast for the Sierra foothills late Tuesday through Friday, and close to two inches in Southern California later in the week, which will help both firefighters and air quality but increases the risk of mudslides in burn areas.

Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) on Monday filed a lawsuit against Matt Whitaker and President Trump in U.S. District Court. Their argument is that Trump violated the Appointments Clause of the Constitution when he named Whitaker the acting attorney general since he was not confirmed by the Senate. Prior to his appointment, Whitaker was former Attorney General Jeff Sessions' chief of staff, a job that didn't require Senate confirmation. Last week, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel argued in a memo that Whitaker's appointment was constitutional and that while "presidents often choose acting principal officers from among Senate-confirmed officers ... the Constitution does not mandate that choice."

A group of 16 House Democrats released a letter formally opposing Nancy Pelosi as the next speaker of the House on Monday. While the Democrats say they are "thankful to Leader Pelosi for her years of service," they are "committed to voting for new leadership," arguing that "Democrats ran and won on a message of change." The letter is signed by 11 current members of Congress and five members elect, although two of them haven't won their uncalled races yet, and one of them, Ben McAdams, is currently losing to his Republican opponent. Pelosi can currently afford to lose 15 Democratic votes, and has expressed confidence that she will be the next speaker.

During an interview with Fox News that aired Sunday night, President Trump said he will not listen to the tape recording of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist living in the United States, was killed last month inside the Saudi embassy in Istanbul. The Turkish government has supplied the audio, Trump told Chris Wallace, adding that listening to it won't change how he decides to respond. It's a "suffering tape, it's a terrible tape," Trump said. "I've been fully briefed on it, there's no reason for me to hear it. I know everything that went on in the tape without having to hear it." Trump said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had assured him "maybe five different times" that he had nothing to do with the murder. However, U.S. intelligence has concluded he ordered the killing.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is donating $1.8 billion to Johns Hopkins University, the largest gift ever made to an educational institution in the United States. The donation was announced Sunday. Beginning next fall, the Baltimore university will be able to use the money to eliminate student loans in financial aid packages for low- and middle-income students. This gift is "unprecedented and transformative," Johns Hopkins President Ronald Daniels said in a statement. Bloomberg, one of the richest people in the world, graduated from Johns Hopkins in 1964, and said he believes that "denying students entry to a college based on their ability to pay undermines equal opportunity."